Party of Two
by iloveromance
Summary: Rescuing Daphne from a frightening situation in downtown Seattle brings them closer than Niles could have ever imagined and he finds that merely telling her that he loves her is not enough. He hopes his elaborate plan will show her how deep his love truly is. A companion/continuation to "A Crane's Love".
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This story came on a whim, based on one insignificant line that I inadvertently left out of "A Crane's Love"**_

The kisses they shared were sweet, passionate and loving, making Daphne feel warmth inside her unlike any she'd ever known before. It had all happened so quickly and it was so unexpected. But what surprised her most of all was that she had been the one who set it all in motion.

In her relief from being rescued, in a sense, she'd found an angel in the form of her friend, Niles Crane. The idea that he'd completely abandoned a dinner party that meant so much to him in order to come to her rescue was, to put it lightly, incredible. And his sweet words still resonated in her mind;

_You have the most generous, loving and kind heart of anyone I know and I love you so much._

He'd told her that he loved her, after so many years of knowing one another. And it wasn't the kind of love between friends, but real love… the kind that comes from the heart. She didn't need a psychic vision to tell her that she felt it too.

Until now she couldn't quite bring herself to say the words back, but as his hands curled around her neck, his fingers splayed through her hair, she knew that the time had come.

"I love you... Niles."

He drew back and stared at her with tears in his eyes. "Daphne… Are you saying…?"

His boyishness made her smile and she brushed a lone tear from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Niles. I love you. I should have seen it long ago. And I'm not saying that because you came to me rescue, although I'll never forget that for as long as I live. But it's a hundred other things. Your smile, the way you make me laugh, how sweet and thoughtful you are and… Oh God… your party! Niles, I can't believe you gave it up for me!"

"Daphne, that's in the past. When you called, sounding so frantic, I-."

She smiled and caressed his cheek. "I know… but I still can't quite believe this is real. You're me best friend and that's why I bought you all those gifts. I know I went a bit overboard, but-."

"I love them all." He said, kissing her once more. He glanced at the coffee table and picked up the slender box, opening it to reveal the first gift. "A beautiful silk tie, this wonderful silver pen and… the cologne. It's my absolute favorite. How could you possibly have known?"

"We've known each other for a long time." She said, unable to stop smiling. "I might not have said anything, but it was hard not to overhear the conversations that you had with your brother or the clothes you wear, the colors you prefer. And when I walked into that store, Hart and Marx, the man knew exactly what I should buy."

"Well, you're the most perfect gift of all." He said, warming her heart once more.


	2. Chapter 2

She moved closer to him on the sofa, resting her head against his shoulder. But seconds later his head snapped up and he looked around the room.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just… I can't believe I didn't notice it before."

"Notice what?"

"How beautiful it is."

She looked around the room and laughed. "Oh, you mean the Christmas decorations? I have to admit that they're a bit dull, but I couldn't help meself. I knew your brother wouldn't go for putting the tree up on Thanksgiving night, but after hearing Christmas songs for days on end, and commercials for Christmas things on TV, I couldn't resist putting up a few decorations. I'm surprised that you even noticed. It's only a few garlands and lights. The real decorating will start tomorrow I suppose. I meant to do it when I got home from me shopping but I…. "

Her voice trailed away, and she shuddered, trying to forget about that awful night, being stranded in downtown Seattle with no way to get home. Out of what could only be called desperation, she'd called Niles and he'd come at a moment's notice, calming her fears in the process.

Now he looked at her, a boyish grin on his face.

"What is it?"

"Well, the decorations are beautiful, but I was talking about you."

She lifted her head from his chest and smiled. "Well that's awfully sweet of you but me hair is a mess and me outfit-."

He silenced her with a kiss that left her breathless. "You're beautiful, Daphne. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And I love you so much."

"And I love you." She said surprised at how easy it was to say the words. Her fingers trailed down his shoulders, until they reached his neck. And ever so gently she tugged on his black bow tie until the strands hung against his collar bone. "There, doesn't that feel better?"

"Yes, it certainly does."

"You look awfully handsome in your tuxedo. It must have been some party."

He leaned his head back, allowing her to rest her head against his once more. "Daphne, I was thinking…"

She smiled, listening to the way his heart beat steadily in his chest. "About what?"

"Well, I never got to have my party as planned."

She raised her head and looked at him in dismay. And at once the magical moment was broken.


	3. Chapter 3

She sighed deeply, the hot tears rising to the surface. She knew that he loved her, of that she was certain. After the tribulations he'd been through with Maris, he would never joke about such a powerful emotion. But she also knew that he was disappointed about his party. How could he not be? Months of planning, making detailed decisions and the guests he'd invited. It was quite possible that those people might never accept an invitation from him again. It was completely her fault.

If only she'd listened to Frasier and accepted his ride downtown, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have lost track of time, and ended up stranded. And Niles…

She glanced over to find him deep in thought. Most likely he was thinking of the money that he'd wasted, not to mention the time, which to a man such as he was probably even more precious. How could she even begin to make it up to him? Saying I love you, buying him silk ties, silver pens and cologne just didn't feel like enough. It would never be enough. But she was at a complete loss for what to do.

She pulled out of his arms and rose to her feet, watching him.

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

"I-I just need some air." She said, turning quickly to leave before he could stop her. When she reached the balcony door, she thrust it open, wincing at the burst of cold air that hit her in the face.

Alone on the balcony she stared into the night sky, the stars blurred by her tears. How could she have been so selfish and inconsiderate? Because of her, Niles plans were ruined and yet he'd done nothing but tell her not to blame herself. She knew it was wrong, feeling guilty when she had no control over the situation.

"Here, put this on. It's terribly cold."

At his quiet voice she turned to find him holding her red coat and she smiled through her tears, slipping her arms into the sleeves. "Thank you." Her voice broke and she quickly turned away. She didn't want him to see her crying yet again.

But to her surprise, his arms went around her and his lips kissed her neck.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry." He whispered into her hair. "Perhaps I should have rephrased my statement. I meant that since I wasn't able to have my party as planned, I'm going to reschedule it for tomorrow night. And I insist that you come."

Her anger and hurt melted away, replaced by complete astonishment. "What? But Niles, I couldn't possibly… I mean all of those important people! And how will you even begin to-."

He kissed her softly, bringing her to silence and smiled. "Just say you'll come. Please? It would mean the world to me."

She couldn't stop smiling as she kissed his sweet lips. "All right. I'd love to. Thank you, Niles. What time would you like me to be there?"

"I'll pick you up at, say 7:30?"

"Oh, I can't let you leave your party again. It wouldn't be right. I'll be there… at 7:30."

He gathered her into his arms and hugged her warmly. "Thank you, Daphne. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She relished the feeling of his embrace and she leaned against him, closing her eyes. But when she felt him shake her gently, she realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms.

"I should go." He whispered. "It's late and you must be exhausted."

Disappointment filled her as she looked into the eyes of the man she'd suddenly come to love. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled and kissed her tenderly. "I'm looking forward to it. Goodnight, sweet angel. And thank you so much for the wonderful gifts. I'll cherish them."

When he'd left the condo, she returned to the balcony, staring into the sky. She knew she would feel completely out of place among such important people and she worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. But there was nowhere on earth she'd rather be than with the man she loved.


	4. Chapter 4

She looked into the full-length mirror, smoothing the sides of her emerald-green dress while her heart raced like mad. God, she was so nervous. This wasn't like her at all! And it wasn't like this was the first time she'd ever been to one of Niles' parties before. But now things were different. Before she'd gone because it was… Well, _expected_ of her. Frasier and Martin usually attended, much to the dismay of Martin. She knew that the old man would have been much happier sitting in front of the television set in his beloved chair with a beer in his hand and a Seahawks game on the television. But he loved his youngest son, even if he wouldn't readily admit it. And if the two elderly Crane men attended, Daphne followed suit.

But now she wondered if this might be a test of sorts. Frasier was on a date and Martin was at Duke's, so there was little chance of either man arriving fashionably late to the party. So for the first time she'd be attending Niles' party as an invited guest. And she was certain that she'd be under the watchful eye of every snobbish and pretentious guest in attendance. The thought made her not want to go, but she'd made a promise that she'd be there and she fully intended to keep it.

Taking one last look in the mirror, Daphne spritzed her brush with _Obsession_, Niles' favorite perfume, and ran the brush through her hair and then reapplied her lipstick. Her heart beating even more rapidly than before, she put on her shoes, grabbed her purse and turned out the light.

In her car, driving was all but impossible, given her state of nervousness, but she drove carefully, knowing that Niles wouldn't mind if she was a few minutes late; especially if he knew the reason. He loved her. And she loved him… so much.

Before she knew it she'd arrived at the Montana and she wished that she had brought him a gift; a bottle of wine, perhaps. Isn't that what people did when they attended parties, bring a gift for the host? Well, she'd make certain to make it up to him in the future.

She stood at the door, her body trembling with nerves and her heart beating faster than necessary, waiting for someone to answer. And while she waited, she said a silent prayer; "_Please don't let anything happen to spoil Niles' party. He deserves it more than anyone."_

The door opened and her heart fluttered at the sight. Niles stood before her, looking even more handsome than he had last night. She didn't think such a thing was possible, and yet here he was, standing in front of her wearing a tuxedo and a smile on his face.

"Daphne…"

"Hello, Niles. I'm sorry I'm a bit late. I-."

His kiss made her forget the excuse she had so carefully conjured up and when she drew back, he lovingly brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. "Nonsense. You're right on time. Let me take your coat."

She turned around as he carefully removed her coat, but then he froze, looking her up and down. And suddenly she was self-conscious again. "I-I wasn't sure what I should wear, so I thought-."

He stopped her with another kiss; one that she would never forget as long as she lived. And when he drew back, she looked at him, almost too stunned to speak. "I-."

"You're absolutely striking, Daphne. You look so incredibly beautiful and if there were any doubt before that you were the most gorgeous woman that I've ever seen, then there is no doubting that fact now."

She kissed him more passionately than she'd ever kissed anyone, almost forgetting where she was. And it took all the strength within her to end the kiss before she was ready.

"Oh… Your party. I-." She stepped through the front door, looking around in confusion. And then she turned to him, even more confused. "I-I don't understand. You did say that your party was tonight, didn't you?"

He took her hand and bought it to his lips. "I did."

"But… where are your other guests? I thought-."

Silently he led her to the middle of the living room and gazed into her eyes. "This party… it's for you, Daphne."

"I'm sorry Niles, but I still don't understand. I-." She saw his smile deepen and suddenly she knew. "Oh Niles…"

And then it only took a second before her tears began to fall.


	5. Chapter 5

His hands were on her cheeks, gently brushing away her tears. "Daphne, I'm so sorry. I've deceived you and that wasn't at all my intention. I-."

She silenced him with a kiss and then drew back. "Do you have any idea how wonderful you are, Niles Crane?"

He blushed, looking boyishly handsome. "Well, I-."

"You did all of this for me? The party? The tuxedo?"

"Well, I-."

"No one has ever done something so wonderful for me before. I can't thank you enough. I'm so touched."

The kisses that followed were sweet, tender and more wonderful than she ever imagined. If she could have continued kissing this man forever, she would have been perfectly happy. But when he drew back unexpectedly, she was filled with worry.

"What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

"Nothing's wrong. I… Well, this is a party and-."

"You're absolutely right, Niles." She laughed, watching him pour two glasses of champagne and then place one in her hand. And then he walked into the kitchen, returning seconds later with a plate of hors d'oeuvres, bowing much like a waiter would. "Here you are, Miss."

She took one and bit into it, the flavor exploding on her tongue. "Oh, these are heavenly."

"Thank you. It was quite popular at our wine club gatherings, so I thought that-."

"Will there be music at this party?"

"Oh, where is my head tonight?" Niles exclaimed. "Of course there's music!"

She laughed once more, watching him sprint across the living room where he inserted a CD into the player. Instantly the living room was filled with the most beautiful and romantic music she'd ever heard. His hand appeared before her and she smiled.

"Excuse me, I hate to be so foreword, but you are incredibly beautiful and I can't take my eyes off of you. Would you care to dance?"

"I'd love to."

She took his hand and he drew her close, wrapping his arm around her as they moved slowly to the music. "This is a lovely party, Niles." she remarked as they continued to dance. "Would it be too foreword of me to say that you're the handsomest man I've ever seen?"

Her silly comment brought more kisses and she found it hard to stop.

"And you, my love, are the most beautiful woman the Gods could ever create."

She cradled his face in her hands, wondering how, with each passing moment, it was possible to love him more. "That's the most wonderful thing anyone's ever said to me. I love you so much."

"And I love you, Daphne. You know, I was thinking… This party is quite a success and it could go on late into the night. Perhaps you should stay here. You know, to avoid having to drive home by yourself?"

She kissed him softly and smiled. "That sounds like a lovely idea."

"More champagne?"

"I'd love some."

Her hand trembled as she held out her champagne glass and he poured the pink liquid into it.

"I propose a toast. What shall we drink to?"

"To us… and to my being stranded in downtown Seattle, which brought us together."

"And to the love that will keep us together, forever."

Daphne laughed. "Isn't that a song?"

Niles thought for a moment. "You know I believe it is. But even if it isn't, truer words have never been spoken."

THE END


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